Juno-winning Johnny Reid helps celebrate the power of music for children

LYNN SAXBERG, Ottawa Citizen03.28.2012

Musicounts kicked off Juno week festivities with a special Band Aid Celebration Thursday at the Museum of Civilization. Five local schools received $45,000 from the Band Aid program for new instruments at their schools. Kids from each school attended and enjoyed a special appearance by two-time Juno Award winning artist Johnny Reid. Here, Johnny Reid got a special thank you from Jhennifer McIntosh-Rodriguez, right, and other kids from Ecole Notre Dame after his performance.JULIE OLIVER
/ OTTAWA CITIZEN

Musicounts kicked off Juno Week festivities with a special Band Aid Celebration Thursday at the Museum of Civilization. Five local schools received $45,000 from the Band Aid program for new instruments at their schools. Kids from each school attended and enjoyed a special appearance by two-time Juno Award winning artist Johnny Reid. Here, Johnny Reid belts out a two-tapping song.JULIE OLIVER
/ OTTAWA CITIZEN

Musicounts kicked off Juno week festivities with a special Band Aid Celebration Thursday at the Museum of Civilization. Five local schools received $45,000 from the Band Aid program for new instruments at their schools. Kids from each school attended and enjoyed a special appearance by two-time Juno Award winning artist Johnny Reid. Here, Johnny Reid is surrounded by excited young musicians from Hillcrest High School and their performance at the event.JULIE OLIVER
/ OTTAWA CITIZEN

Musicounts kicked off JUNO week festivities with a special Band Aid Celebration Thursday at the Museum of Civilization. Five local schools received $45,000 from the Band Aid program for new instruments at their schools. Kids from each school attended and enjoyed a special appearance by two-time Juno Award winning artist Johnny Reid. Reid, left, chats with Ottawa’s mayor Jim Watson after his performance.JULIE OLIVER
/ OTTAWA CITIZEN

OTTAWA — When Johnny Reid was an awkward teenager trying to find his place in a new country, his best friend was made of wood and had six strings.

“I moved to Canada in 1988 and for the first, it seemed like 10 years, I was the new kid,” the Scottish-born country singer told an audience of Ottawa-area students on Thursday. “My guitar became a very good friend to me. I could tell my guitar things that I couldn’t tell anybody else.”

More than two decades later, he’s able to share his feelings with people of all ages. Reid is a million-selling recording artist who’s won two Juno Awards and is in the running for a third in this weekend’s ceremony. His song, Let’s Go Higher, is nominated for single of the year.

The singer-songwriter and father of four arrived in Ottawa early to take part in Thursday’s event, which was organized to celebrate the support of music education by MusiCounts, the charity arm of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Five area schools received 2011-12 Band Aid grants ranging from $4,500 to $10,000 from MusiCounts.

After giving a sense of the importance of music in his early years, Reid treated the audience to a brief performance, including a solo, acoustic rendition of Fire It Up, the rhythmic title track from his new, sixth album. He was delighted to hear backing vocals from the youngsters who filled the Canadian War Museum’s Barney Danson Theatre.

The students in the crowd represented the schools that received grants: Ecole elementaire catholique Elda-Rouleau, Hadley Jr. High School/Philemon Wright High School, Maniwaki’s Kitigan Zibi School, Notre-Dame Elementary School and Hillcrest High School.

In addition to speeches by the usual dignitaries, including Mayor Jim Watson, National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay and CARAS president Melanie Berry, the school band from Hillcrest demonstrated the value of their $10,000 grant by performing a piece that featured their new percussion instruments. Jambo, the first movement from Paul Basler’s Ngoma Za Kenya, is a joyous composition that soars with brass lines and rhythmic African percussion.

It was a perfect example of the type of global music that Hillcrest music teacher Jeannie Hunter loves to introduce to her students. But when she began working at the school two years ago, the music program didn’t have the instruments necessary to explore world beat styles.

“We celebrated our 50th anniversary last year at Hillcrest, and a lot of musical equipment celebrated its 50th anniversary as well,” Hunter said. “We had a drum set that would literally fall apart when you hit it. Drum stools would fall apart when the kids sat on them. We didn’t have marimba. We had more percussionists than equipment. This has allowed us to access a whole new repertoire.”

The school’s purchases included a marimba, bass drums, timpanis, cymbals and numerous hand drums, which Hunter also uses in a special music class for developmentally delayed students.

Her experiences echoed what Reid said on stage. He believes that rhythm unites us, and it’s vital to give all children the chance to express themselves musically.

“Would Wayne Gretzky be Wayne Gretzky if he didn’t have a hockey stick? Would Van Gogh be Van Gogh if he never had paint?” Reid said later. “We need to make sure that kids have the instruments in their hands to articulate themselves emotionally and musically. If we want music in the world, we have to kids what they need, which is the opportunity.

“I’m living proof that if you give an opportunity, you never know what’s going to come out of it.”

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Juno-winning Johnny Reid helps celebrate the power of music for children